A robust immune system is the secret to staying healthy throughout the winter months when cold and flu season is at its peak. Because the immune system helps your body’s cells and organs work together to prevent unwanted bacteria and viruses from entering your body, making it healthier is like sending reinforcements to the body’s disease defense unit.
To ensure your immune system is at its best, learn how to recognize symptoms of weakness, some foods that help strengthen a compromised immune system and how to get an immediate immune system improvement through IV drip therapy. Read on to learn how you can use IV therapy to boost immune system responses and experience better health this cold and flu season.
5 Signs of a Weak Immune System
If you experience any of the following symptoms, you may have a weakened immune system.
1. Chronic Fatigue or Stress
If you always feel tired or stressed out, your immune system might not be functioning at its best. Still feeling tired despite getting enough sleep is often a sign your body is struggling to fuel the immune system and fend off germs. Research has also shown that long-term stress can negatively impact the immune system’s ability to respond and fight infection, which is why we often get sick after completing a major work project or going through an emotional situation.
2. You Seem to Constantly Have a Cold
While it is perfectly normal to catch two or three colds per year, it should not take you longer than about a week to 10 days to recover. If you keep getting sick or seem to have a lingering viral infection that won’t go away, your immune system is probably struggling to perform at its peak.
3. You Frequently Get Infections
Battling multiple infections within a year can indicate a compromised immune system. For example, more than four ear infections or more than two cases of pneumonia within one year are both signs that your immune system is not functioning well.
4. Your Wounds Heal Slowly
After you get a cut, scrape or burn, your body springs into healing mode by sending nutrient-rich blood to protect the injured area and help regenerate new skin. Without healthy immune cells, this process will experience delays and your wounds will linger longer.
5. You Have Digestive Issues
Because nearly 70% of the immune system is within the digestive tract, frequent gas, constipation or diarrhea can point to a compromised immune system. The friendly bacteria and microorganisms that live in your gut protect it from infection and support the immune system, but low amounts of these gut bacteria can make you more prone to viruses and chronic inflammation.
Foods That Help Your Immune System
The good news is, there are ways to strengthen a weak immune system. You can eat to boost your immune system by consuming foods filled with specific vitamins and minerals. Here are some nutrients to look for.
- B vitamins: By helping immune cells grow and increasing the number of white blood cells in your body, B vitamins do wonders for the immune system.
- Vitamin C: With sufficient vitamin C levels, the immune system can fight off infection and inflammation.
- Vitamin D: As an essential immune system nutrient, vitamin D improves resistance against certain diseases. Thankfully, the Hawaiian sunshine helps naturally boost the body’s vitamin D levels by stimulating the production of vitamin D from cholesterol.
- Zinc: To keep your immune system healthy, zinc helps white blood cells function well while slowing virus replication.
Foods that contain a concentrated amount of one or more of these nutrients can help your immune system fend off sickness this cold and flu season. To get your fill of immune system-fueling nutrients, incorporate more of the following foods into your regular diet.
- Pumpkin: As a nutrient-packed food, pumpkins offer plenty of zinc, vitamin C, antioxidants and B vitamins to protect you from germs.
- Citrus fruit: Many citrus fruits, such as oranges, are full of vitamin C and vitamin B1.
- Salmon: A three-ounce serving of salmon can help you reach 90% of your recommended vitamin D intake.
- Spinach: These leafy greens are rich in zinc, vitamin B2 and vitamin C.
- Eggs: By eating eggs for breakfast, you can start your day with a hearty dose of both vitamin D and zinc.
- Apples: An apple a day can give you enough vitamin C and antioxidants to keep the doctor away.
- Parsnips: This root vegetable contains tons of vitamin C and potassium.
- Beef: An excellent source of B vitamins, beef will also provide your body with the benefits of zinc.
- Cashews: Like many nut varieties, cashews are a great food for increasing the amount of zinc and vitamin B6 in your diet.
- Dark chocolate: Chocolate lovers, rejoice — dark chocolate offers high levels of zinc and antioxidants to fight off disease.
How to Boost Your Immune System Fast
While a nutrient-rich diet filled with fresh fruits and vegetables will do wonders for your immune system in the long run, it may take some time to see those positive results. Because the digestive system absorbs some of the nutrients from food, changing your diet is not the most efficient way to boost your immune system within a short period.
If you need a quicker immune system pick-me-up, IV therapy is an effective way to deliver crucial vitamins and minerals directly to your bloodstream. The hydration that comes with IV fluids also helps flush toxins out of a weakened immune system and ensures there is enough fluid to carry oxygen to the blood cells, which keeps the body’s systems functioning properly.
How IV Therapy Can Help Your Immune System
Receiving an immune system support IV package from Mobile IV Medics can help your body quickly absorb essential nutrients for keeping your immune system healthy and strong. We’ve formulated our immune system support package specifically to build up your immune system so it can fight off infection, control inflammation and heal tissues.
The immune IV package includes these nourishing ingredients.
- IV fluid: Keeping your body hydrated fortifies the immune system.
- Vitamin B complex: B vitamins increase the growth of immune cells to battle an infection.
- Vitamin B12: This specific B vitamin helps multiply the number of white blood cells within the body.
- Vitamin C: Vitamin C combats both infection and inflammation.
- Vitamin D: By helping the body absorb calcium and phosphorus, vitamin D helps the body fight diseases.
- Zinc: Zinc helps the body resist getting sick and reduce virus replication when it does fall ill.
- Glutathione: As an anti-inflammatory molecule, glutathione protects you from sickness and helps alleviate aches and pains.
Receive Immune System-Boosting IV Therapy From Mobile IV Medics
Give your immune system some extra support today by scheduling IV drip therapy with Mobile IV Medics. When you book with Mobile IV Medics, one of our registered nurses comes right to your Honolulu home, office or other place of your choice to administer the treatment. We know it can be a struggle to leave the house when your immune system is down, so we conveniently deliver IV treatment directly to your door.
To learn more about how you can receive immune system-boosting IV therapy in the comfort of your home, contact Mobile IV Medics today.
Sources
- https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/use-your-immune-system-to-prevent-flu#1
- https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/body
- https://www.cdc.gov/features/rhinoviruses/index.html
- https://www.aaaai.org/Tools-for-the-Public/Conditions-Library/Immuno-Deficiency/recurrent-infections-immunodeficiencies
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3337124/
- https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/4/1181
- https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2018/01/30/features/lets-talk-food-foods-that-can-boost-your-immunity/
